Singapore: home of notable metal bands such as Impiety and Rudra... And not much else really.

Okay, while the country itself isn't known for producing the most groundbreaking death metal, there's always a chance for an album to break the stereotype. This, Psycho's full-length debut, is not that album; and that is its greatest strength.

Before discussing the music, one ought to heed the band's moniker: Psycho. Most death metal bands aim for something over-the-top in terms of brutality or a visually disturbing amalgamation of unappealing words that are supposed to let the listener know "hey, we're death metal and we sing about death". Since obvious description is obvious, Psycho played a little more unconventional of a game and chose a name that fits their goal as opposed to their sound. This album is a blender for their love of all that is metal: horror; blood; sex; violence - no mystical quests or fantasy lands here, just pure putridity at its most vile.

And of course, the music. Pain Addict Pigs begins innocently enough, with what really turns out to be a needless "eerie" intro, but it does set a tone I suppose - just not the right one, as the excellence in mosh-worthy ass-kicking that ensues completely takes this album for a 180. Ambiance, mood, atmosphere - not here. It's just pure evildoer's headbanging anthems right through to the bloody end. If the band had done away with the unfitting intro and replaced it with "Revenge Of The Raging Whore", this album would have run far more smoothly. The heavy grunting and subsequent barbaric shouting in the first 20 seconds would have given the album a shot of aggression that is blatantly present in the rest of the album.

All the bits and pieces that made up the whole that is the earliest forms of established extreme metal can be found here, with blastbeats, groove-infused riffing, head-splitting vocals - you name it, Psycho have it. Laden with catchy leads and blistering solos, Pain Addict Pigs is what early Cannibal Corpse would have been releasing had they tapped in to the more "melodic" side of crunching riffs and thrashing leads, not to mention excellent (and not overly noticeable) drum work. That isn't to say the album's entirety is based on quality musicianship, as the vocals play a large part in the insanity. Penny Torture's screams and growls rival that of a young Tom Angelripper mixed with an angry Abbath, adding to what would have already been a perfect homage to the old school underground, which should please fans of virtually any extreme metal band/album from the early-to-mid-'90s.

Sounds promising. Everything from the band name, album name, and song names, to the the Abbath and CC references tells me I'll probably like this.

Had a chance to check it out yet? I'm curious to know if I'm just over-hyping this or if others really like it.

Yeah, I think it was a little over-hyped. The vocals are great, sort of a mix of 80's hair metal and black metal. But the riffs are amateurish and uninspired. Not bad, but not great.

Fair enough - I think it's good for a "fun" release, but overall I wouldn't take it too seriously. It's kind of that mindless headbanging shite you throw on to get the party started, then blast everyone's brains out with some Suffocation.